Essay Two

INTRODUCTION

George Orwell’s 1945 novella Animal Farm continues to retain its relevance to contemporary audiences due to its enduring examination of control and manipulation. The novella illustrates the absolute indoctrination of society to extremist ideologies bearing semblance to those of Stalin and Hitler, demonstrating the destructive influence that this can have upon the individual’s identity. Moreover, through its depiction of a world afflicted by contradictions and lies, Orwell displays the role of language in perpetuating the manipulative tendencies of despotic leaders.¹ In this way, Orwell draws upon the events of his own post-WWII context² to create a dystopian projection of society, highlighting the loss of human heritage within controlling authoritarian landscapes.

1. I have taken two different approaches to control in the text. The first is control through indoctrination, and the second is control through the manipulation of language and truth.

2. Referring to the authorial context is a great way to support your discussion and show your assessor that you understand the broader zeitgeist in which the novella was written. 

PARAGRAPH 1

Through its treatment of control, Orwell’s Animal Farm reveals the insurmountable influence of despotic regimes upon all dimensions of an individual’s existence. Resonant of the Moscow Show Trials, Orwell’s macabre imagery in “a pile of corpses lying before Napoleon’s feet and the air was heavy with the smell of blood” underscores contextual concerns about the disempowering nature of absolute control in which “loyalty and obedience” are valued over the sanctity of life. Furthermore³, Squealer’s rhetorical question, “surely you remember that, comrades?” foregrounds the state’s control over psychological dimensions, to the point where memory no longer becomes a valid source of history. The absence of truth within Orwell’s dystopian society subsequently creates a world where the animals have “nothing with which they could compare their present lives,” underscoring the complete social indoctrination of society. The pigs’ persistent revisionism, evidenced in the sheep’s new maxim, “Four legs good, two legs better!” demonstrates an ability to shift societal orthodoxy, deeply paralleling Stalin’s manipulation of mass media to create an idolised perception of himself. In doing so, Orwell prompts contemporary readers to consider the role of the media in shaping attitudes within their own societies.⁴ In capturing this totality, Minimus’ song, “Animal Farm, Animal Farm, Never through me shalt thou come to harm!” further places a heightened focus on the wellbeing of the state, with the undertones of sacrifice demeaning the individual to a martyr. By extension, the exhibitions of extravagance in the Spontaneous Demonstrations coupled with “poems recited in Napoleon’s honour” symbolically elucidate the pervasive influence of the ruling class in defining the identity and values of the animals as a whole. Thus, Orwell presents a dramatic loss of freedom that becomes synonymous with the animals’ struggles to affirm a cohesive sense of identity within a controlling society.

3. Using transitional words such as “furthermore” or “moreover” etc. helps to maintain the fluidity of an essay and also helps in presenting your ideas in a clear and logical manner.

4. This sentence is a brief comment about how this form of control through media remains relevant to our modern society, helping us to better understand the way in which the idea of control is presented in Animal Farm.

PARAGRAPH 2

The manipulation of language in Animal Farm ultimately becomes a conduit⁵ through which Orwell critically evaluates the deceitful nature of despotic leaders and their propensities to distort the truth. Allegorically emulating the USSR’s gross perversion of Communist ideals, the pigs’ adjustment of the Seven Commandments in “No animal shall kill any other animal without cause” symbolically elucidates the subtle way in which language is altered to align with the egotistical intentions of the pigs. Furthermore, Squealer’s rhetorical assertions, “Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back!” underpins the pigs’ use of fear⁶ as a means to achieve subjugation. It constructs a society where the animals “work like slaves,” the simile ultimately epitomising the loss of hope and freedom within a world afflicted by contradictions. Paralleling the USSR’s misrepresentation of statistics, Squealer’s accumulation of fabricated claims, “they worked shorter hours, that their drinking water was of better quality, that they lived longer” demonstrates how hope is utilised to uphold the animals’ morale, even within a harrowing social landscape. Moreover, it symbolises Orwell’s recognition of language⁷ as the primary tool of oppression endorsed by totalitarian regimes across the 20th century. The glorified epithets of Napoleon in “Father of All Animals, Terror of Mankind, Protector of the Sheepfold” convey the pigs’ efforts to creates a dramatised image of Napoleon as an almighty leader, similarly reflecting the actions of the Pravda in controlling Stalin’s cult of personality. Orwell’s construction of Napoleon as a deity to the animals ultimately serves to illustrate his fears of a world where language is utilised to distort the ideals of truth and equality. Hence, Orwell examines the capacity of language to blur the boundaries between truth and lie in his critique towards the manipulative tendencies of totalitarian regimes.

5. This is a great word to describe the nature of the text and its function as part of Orwell’s authorial intent

6. Throughout this paragraph, the evidence is used to show the different ways in which language is used to exert control (e.g. fear, false hope, etc.).

7. Here is a contextual link explaining how the manipulation of language was relevant to Orwell’s time.

CONCLUSION

As such, Orwell utilises a dystopian setting to heighten the audience’s understanding towards the pervasive nature of control within his own context. This control manifests itself not only through social repression, but also through the manipulation of language. In this way, Orwell’s Animal Farm shares insightful representations into the unjust brutality and corruption of the post-WWII totalitarian regimes, revealing the subsequent deprivation of meaningful human values arising from such control.⁸